CDs are normally carried in hinged plastic cases often referred to as "jewel boxes" and while these cases or carriers serve their purpose, there are disadvantages to such jewel boxes, particularly regarding cost. This has led to consideration in this art of a number of different alternatives for carrying out this purpose and related purposes.
Some of these alternatives to which reference was made above are discussed in the patented art. Patents of possible interest include the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,608 to Spector; U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,022 to Renna; U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,109 to Muto; U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,849 to Prusak et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,107 to Chasin et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,452 to Hybiske et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,655,656 to Gottlieb; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,732,491 to Burtch.
The Spector patent discloses a protective package for a CD in an album format. The package includes hinged front and rear panels. A face panel secured to the rear panel contains a circular opening creating a well for holding the CD. The front panel forms a cover for protecting the CD. The Renna patent discloses a disc storage case formed from a single sheet comprising a support panel and a hinged cover panel. The disc is retained on the support panel by folded side panels. The Muto patent discloses a receiver for a disc comprising a disc receiving portion and a hinged lid portion. The disk receiving portion may comprise a smooth base plate or a base plate with a circular concave portion sized to hold the disc. A silicone resin layer is laminated on the disc receiving portion of the base plate. The Prusak et al patent discloses a video disc caddy comprising a record retaining spine removably received inside an outer protective cover. The spine includes a circular record receiving opening and a pair of latching fingers which are selectively snapped into respective pockets to hold the record/spine assembly in place. The package allows a record to be loaded into a record player and removed therefrom without having to touch the record. The Chasin et al patent discloses a compact disc box with a reciprocating drawer. The drawer includes a recessed storage platform and spindle mechanism. The box can be constructed from a single mold during an injection process. The Hybiske patent discloses a data disc case comprising a tray section and a pocket section into which the tray section is slidably mounted. The tray and pocket are each constructed from a single piece of paperboard. A catch tab and spring tab work together to prevent the tray from sliding completely out of the pocket. The Gottlieb patent discloses a paperboard package for a CD comprising an outer container and an inner sleeve capable of being slid into the outer container. The inner sleeve is provided with a disc gripping flap to frictionally hold an edge of the CD. The Burtch patent discloses an erectable periscoping display device for planar items such as CDs and a blank therefor made from paperboard or the like.